


It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

by joufancyhuh



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Christmas Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-08
Updated: 2017-12-08
Packaged: 2019-02-12 05:49:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12952677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joufancyhuh/pseuds/joufancyhuh
Summary: Kaidan and John spend a quiet evening at home setting up the tree.





	It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ellebeedarling](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellebeedarling/gifts).



> Thanks to [BlueTeaParty](http://archiveofourown.org/users/blueteaparty), [AlyssAlenko](http://archiveofourown.org/users/alyssalenko), and [BardofHeartDive](http://archiveofourown.org/users/bardofheartdive) for being my betas. 
> 
> Merry Christmas, Ellebeedarling!

“What’s all this?” 

John stopped short of the living room, admiring the view of Kaidan wearing a sweater while perched on top of a small step-stool, stringing white lights around a wide evergreen. 

Kaidan cursed under his breath as he stepped down, leaving the lights dangling around the base of the tree. 

“I hoped to finish before you got in.” He wiped the stray pine needles on his pants before dashing up to give John a quick peck on the cheek. “Hey, babe. Missed you.” 

John grinned, motioning to the reindeer with the glowing red nose on his otherwise green sweater. “Could you be a bigger dork?” 

Kaidan pouted, but allowed John to slip his arms around his waist, tugging him in to give a real kiss. Kaidan hooked his arms around John’s neck, leaning his forehead against his, a smile forming on both their lips. 

“I missed you, too,” John whispered before going in for another kiss, lips slotting together as John grabbed himself a handful of ass. 

Kaidan laughed against his mouth and ruffled his hair, “You’re early.” 

“I wanted to surprise you with an early flight, but it seems you’re the one doing the surprising.” 

Kaidan slid his arm down around John’s waist as he stepped to the side, watching John’s face reflect in the twinkling lights. “Well since you’re here, want to give me a hand? I still have a long way to go on the tree, and then there’s the rest of the house and outside to do.” 

John tsked, leaning his head against Kaidan’s temple as he surveyed the living room. “You know you were never going to get it done on time, right? Unless me helping was your plan all along…” 

The glean in Kaidan’s eyes gave John all the information he needed, though the shorter man kept an otherwise straight face. Instead, Kaidan shrugged and waved his hand toward one of the smaller plastic tubs. “There’s a sweater for you in there if you want it.”

John groaned, letting go of Kaidan to rest his forehead in the palm of his hand. “I love you, Kay, but there’s no way you’re getting me into one of those.”

“Not even if it has Black Widows on it?”

Kaidan trudged over to the tub to dig it out, raising the black and red sweater up over his own. A giant white N7 stitched into the middle, preceded and followed by red and green Widows and mistletoe in uneven rows until it reached the bottom; John couldn’t fight the smile that blossomed on his face. 

Kaidan brought the sweater over for John to appraise. John lifted up the sleeve, running his thumb over the fabric as he nodded with appreciation. “Mom made it last year, but since you were in that coma, I held off giving it to you.” Kaidan paused for a few seconds, enough time for John’s eyes to flick up, making eye contact over the large sweater. “Are you going to try it on?”

John shrugged off his jacket and slung it over the back of a chair before following it with his shirt. He smirked as his eyes caught Kaidan checking out his bare chest with appreciation. John flexed his muscles just for his husband’s benefit, causing a bark of laughter from Kaidan as he handed over the sweater. “Is it hot in here, or just you?” 

“Just me,” John chuckled, giving one last pose before covering up. He admired the sweater in the mirror, the soft feel of wool on his skin and the way it hugged his chest. Kaidan’s reflection grinned as his eyes swept his frame. 

“Who’s the dork now?” 

“Still you,” John smirked, laying a light kiss on Kaidan’s lips before making his way over to the tree. He picked up the discarded light strand and began roping it around, uneven and crooked until Kaidan growled, stepping in and shouldering John out of the way.

“You’re not even trying to make it look nice.” He frowned, stepping onto the stool to fix John’s shoddy work as he maneuvered each section of the strand onto a specific branch of the evergreen. When he glanced over his shoulder, John leaned back on one knee, appreciating Kaidan’s backside as he sipped on Kaidan’s forgotten glass of eggnog. 

“If you’re going to just stand there, at least start unwrapping the ornaments. Make yourself useful.” 

“Someone’s gotta appreciate this view.” John whistled, a wolf’s grin underneath the glass. But he plopped down on the couch and dragged one of the larger tubs in front of him. “Work, work, work. You know, I was looking forward to a little R&R when I got back. I was thinking less sweaters, more alcohol, and a bed I haven’t seen in over a month.” 

Kaidan laughed as he started on the next strand, now halfway up the tree. “We can’t leave this unfinished. It’s not my fault you got in early.”

John rolled his eyes as he took out the first bundle of tissue paper and unraveled it, careful of what was inside. A small glass Alliance Cruiser, hooked with gold ribbon, fell out on the palm of his hand. John glanced up to where Kaidan froze with his eyes on it. 

“Kay?” 

“I forgot about that one.” Kaidan turned back into the tree, hiding his face from John so he wouldn’t see the raw emotion scrunching up his face. “I haven’t been home to put up the tree in years.”

“What is it? Other than a Christmas ornament.”

Kaidan wrapped while he chatted. “That one, my grandfather gave my mother when she found out she was pregnant with me. I never got the chance to meet him, but Mom cherished this until she passed it on to me when I moved out.” 

John laid it on the table and unbound another. He chuckled at the tiny handprint in white clay, _Kaidan_ spelled uneven and with a backwards N, Kaidan joining in when he spotted the ornament in John’s hand. 

“It took years before I learned to write an N correctly. Mom had quite the time teaching me that.” 

John scooted over on the couch and patted the seat beside him. “Come sit down. I’ll grab us some more eggnog and you can tell me about the rest of them.” When Kaidan didn’t move, John taunted, “You’re not fooling anyone. It’s written all over your face that you want to.” John moved toward the kitchen, taking his stolen glass with him. 

When he came back into the living room, Kaidan remained by the tree, stringing along the last bit of lights. John growled as he slammed down their drinks on the table. “Sit, now.” 

“Or what? You’ll make me?” Kaidan laid the last bit of strand curled around the top branch of the tree before stepping down off the stool to admire his handy work. “Much better.”

“I feel like this Christmas spirit isn’t actually for me.” John frowned as he shuffled over to Kaidan, arms slipping around his waist as he dug his chin into Kaidan’s shoulder. “The tree looks nice and all, but you know I don’t give one lick about this holiday.” 

Kaidan folded his arms over John’s as he leaned back into John’s solid stature. “This is our first Christmas together, with you awake anyway. And Mom wants to pop in, stay with us for a few days.” 

“Kay…” John nuzzled the side of Kaidan’s neck as he tightened his hold on him. “I’m glad to be here with you, and I’m sure your mom would agree with me. You’re stressing yourself out trying to make this perfect, but just by being here, you’ve already accomplished that.” 

“The Great Commander Shepard, such a sap.” Kaidan leaned his head onto John’s as they stood admiring the twinkling lights. “It still needs tinsel.”

John groaned, letting go of Kaidan to make his way back to the couch. “It’s like you didn’t hear anything I said.” 

Kaidan inched toward the couch and dropped to his knees, laying his head across John’s own as an arm circled his ankles. “I heard you, but this is important to me. You’re important to me, and I want to do this for you. Stop putting up a fight and let me.” 

John sighed as he ruffled Kaidan’s hair, a small smile pulling at the corners of his lips. “Fine, but come sit with me for awhile. Your husband missed you, and I feel like you have a lot more to say about your ornaments.” 

Kaidan relented, crawling up on the couch and slanting toward John, hand wrapping around the back of his head as their lips pressed together. “Thank you.” 

“You’re going to make me lose my cold-hearted rep,” John grinned as he scattered kisses over Kaidan’s face and neck. “Let’s get on with this then, shall we?” 

His arms circled Kaidan’s waist, leaning into Kaidan as he watched his husband pull out another bundle of tissue paper, this one holding a blue glittery snowflake. “So about this one….”

**Author's Note:**

> Concrit welcome!
> 
> If you liked this fic, you should try [Cookie Kisses](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12996459) by ellebeedarling.


End file.
